The growth of the retro camera look has sparked a resurgence in disposable cameras – but one start-up is taking the lens from a recycled disposable camera and building a compact mirrorless lens with it. Bold Lens Co. is a Thailand-based company building mirrorless lenses from the lenses of old disposable cameras.
Bold Lens isn’t the first company to make a cheap mirrorless lens meant to mimic the look of a disposable film camera. But the Bold Lens BL-32, is unusual in that the budget lens still uses an adjustable aperture rather than a fixed opening. The company says it's the first disposable camera lens remake to use an adjustable aperture.
First, Bold Lens takes used Fujifilm QuickSnap disposable film cameras and pulls the optic from them. Then, it 3D-prints the lens housing, complete with six curved 3D-printed aperture blades. The final lens is assembled by hand.
The result is a 32mm lens with an f/5.6-f/22 adjustable aperture built for APS-C cameras. Focusing is all manual, with an adjustable focus ring. The lens is built from four major components, without any electronics: a 3D-printed body, the recycled lens element, the aperture blades, and the camera mount.
Sample images shared by Bold Lens illustrate a soft look that feels reminiscent of the imperfect disposable film camera. The narrow f/5.6 aperture encourages a higher ISO, which can create the grain that also feels like a more old-school look.
Like many budget lenses, there are no electronic contacts on the lens, so the aperture needs to be adjusted directly from the lens, and some cameras will need to enable the “shoot without lens” setting.
The hand-assembled lens is being sold in small batches, but it's available for several different mounts, including Fujifilm X, Sony E, Nikon Z, Canon EF-M, Canon RF, and Micro Four Thirds.
Because the lenses are made in small batches – around 15 a month – orders are checked for stock and international shipping availability. The lens sells for $49 – about £36 / AU$70 / CA$69.
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